Evaluation of Critical Success Factors for Road Construction Projects in Sri Lanka

Abstract

A construction project is commonly acknowledged as successful when it is completed on time, within budget, and in accordance with specifications and to the stakeholders’ satisfaction. However, outside the control of the management, there are many factors which could determine the success or failure of a project. Search for the factors influencing project success is not new in management studies particularly, in the domain of construction and project management. The last two and half decades have witnessed a drastic increase in “critical success factors” (CSFs) research. However, there is no such study on the implementation of CSFs in road construction projects in Sri Lanka. Massive infrastructure development drives have contributed to the economic growth of Sri Lanka since 2010.The Sri Lankan transportation sector has been identified as a priority by the government of Sri Lanka with major road development projects. However, road projects in Sri Lanka have time and cost overruns and are exposed to risk frequently. Therefore it is essential to improve the success of road projects in Sri Lanka. This research paper was focused on identifying critical success factors and establishing the most important CSFs for different project phases in the road construction project life cycle. The research problem was approached through an expert survey and a questionnaire survey conducted among the professionals in the road construction sector in Sri Lanka. The findings revealed all the factors found through the literature survey are relevant to Sri Lankan road construction projects. Further the study established the most important CSFs in each phase of the construction project life cycle of road construction projects in Sri Lanka. This will be useful and aid the Sri Lankan road construction projects towards successful completion.